Set up the free plan's three channels around the department's highest-value platforms.
The free Buffer plan connects three channels. Choosing which three to connect should follow where your audience actually is rather than habit.
This guide walks you through signing up, reviewing engagement, connecting your three highest-value channels, and documenting the coverage gap so you have evidence for a later upgrade decision.
Show output, engagement, and the free plan's ceiling in one short update.
Run a full monthly content plan inside three channels and ten posts each.
Use the free analytics to see what works instead of guessing.
Plan a posting cadence that fits the free plan's scheduling cap.
Sign up for the free Buffer plan. No credit card is required.
Review which of your platforms drive the most engagement.
Connect your three highest-value channels first. Commonly this means LinkedIn, Instagram, and X.
Authorise each account.
Confirm each connected channel appears in the dashboard.
Keep posting manually on the remaining platforms for now.
Note the coverage gap as evidence for a later upgrade decision.
**Scenario**: [Your department] runs [five platforms]. **Step 1**: Sign up for Buffer's free plan. **Step 2**: Review recent engagement to identify your top three platforms. **Step 3**: Connect your three highest-value channels—commonly LinkedIn, Instagram, and X. **Step 4**: Authorise each account. **Step 5**: Confirm all three appear in the dashboard. **Step 6**: Continue posting manually to the remaining platforms. **Step 7**: Document the gap: which platforms remain manual and why they were deprioritised.
Connect the three highest-value social channels to the free plan, confirm each authorises correctly, and record which platforms remain manual so the coverage gap is visible.
Adapt a single piece of content to each channel's tone without rewriting by hand.
Keep 100 content ideas in one place instead of scattered notes.